Take Me to the Alley

Grammy winning jazz singer Gregory Porter shone on the Disclosure single, "Holding On." But he's got a big career of his own outside of the British brothers. His new album is sweet and serene.

In May 2015, Disclosure released a song called “Holding On,” a dance tune that put singer Gregory Porter on full display. The collaboration likely wasn’t a big deal for Disclosure fans: The group works with big name R&B singers quite often; compared to Sam Smith or Miguel, Porter is certainly under the radar. For Porter, though, the feature was somewhat surprising given his career path. He’s a jazz artist, the guy in the big hat who used to play football. But "Holding On" was a big success despite his low profile, in large part because of Porter's presence. He’s got that voice, so booming and majestic that it cuts through any instrumental, no matter how pronounced or easygoing. On his 2011 single “1960 What?,” for instance, Porter is especially demonstrative, tweaking his strong baritone to lament social injustice. Conversely, on the next year's “Be Good (Lion’s Song),” the vocalist took his time, carefully peeling off each word through a sweet, conversational cadence. With these songs and others, Porter thrives using a unique style, an ever-changing vocal magnitude you simply have to hear to appreciate. He sings with conviction, calmly drawing you in, like having a long chat with an old friend.

Despite two successful albums, 2011’s Water and 2012’s Be Good, Porter hit a high mark on 2013’s Liquid Spirit, which won the Grammy a year later for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Powered by songs “No Love Dying” and “Hey Laura,” Porter brought true pathos to sentimental tales. While Liquid Spirit was decidedly nostalgic, rooted in traditional jazz and soul, for his new album, Take Me to the Alley, Porter reconnects with long-time collaborator Kamau Kenyatta to create something more serene. With its scant, acoustic backdrop, the mood is overtly relaxed and the pace is low to mid-tempo, making for a record best suited for late night consumption.

Compared with Liquid Spirit, Alley feels more reflective, if not lovelorn. “Don’t Lose Your Steam” and “Day Dream” are coming-of-age tales meant for Porter’s three-year-old son, Demyan. The album’s middle songs—namely “Consequence of Love” and “Don’t Be a Fool”—seem preoccupied with regret, as though the singer wants to atone for mistakes he’s made along the way. “Insanity” speaks to the raw passion lovers sometimes feel for one another. It finds Porter in limbo, that point where the relationship is over but neither person wants to give up. “Sometimes a lover can be angry till the end,” he sings earnestly.

On “More Than a Woman,” Porter sings about his late mother who, while dying from breast cancer, encouraged him to pursue a full-time singing career: “She brought love to my life, gave love light … simple words, I love you, she made true.” Porter is a formidable songwriter with poetic flair, but Alley puts more focus on what he’s saying than the music itself, which lessens the album’s immediate satisfaction. Porter sounds best when his music has greater variation. His narrative stands up here, but without a broader spectrum of sounds, Alley feels a little flat. It’s more of a slow burn and a slight step backward from Liquid Spirit’s dynamic nature. The results are nice, but with too few standouts, Alley breezes by.